Ethical pearls on sale!

Mai Pearls is throwing a sizzling summer sale for the next 72 hours so if you haven't already chosen the jewellery for your upcoming green wedding, take time out to search the pearl chest for fabulous bargains!

All the pearls used within the Mai Pearls collection are Chinese farmed freshwater pearls and each piece of jewellery is handmade by a small group of mainland Chinese women. Mai Pearls supports fair trade and local community initiatives. This means that they ensure their suppliers are paid fair wages for their work; working conditions are safe and of a good standard and no children are exploited.

Mai Pearls also gives 10% of it's profits to Operation Blessings, Chinese orphan care program.

For more information and to take advantage of this great summer offer go to www.maipearls.co.uk.

Posted in Green Wedding Ethical Vendors , Events , Jewellery

20% discount off ethical wedding & engagement rings

We're delighted to announce that Leblas Ethical Jewellery is offering GreenUnion visitors a 20% discount off all its ethical wedding and engagement rings until 31st July 2010. For more information and to take advantage of this offer go to their website www.leblas.com and quote promotional code “greenunion”.

You can choose from their unique collection of ethical wedding, engagement and commitment rings which are all made using only recycled 18ct white and yellow gold, traceable gemstones, and conflict-free diamonds. Every ring is made with traditional artistry and modern design.

With their 4 distinct band shapes: Almond, Together, Round, and Double Leblas carries a unique variety of beautiful diamond sets, such as “The Leaf Diamond Band” and “The Double Diamond” - this season’s hottest sellers.

Posted in Green Wedding Conflict Free , Ethical Vendors , Fair Trade , Jewellery , Special Offers

Fair trade jewellery on show

We're celebrating the very first international collective show of the best designers in the emerging ethical jewellery movement.

ESSENCE, hosted by CRED, is a space set aside to showcase a group of designers who share the vision that sustainable products do not have to sacrifice design or quality and are committed to sourcing all their materials and managing their business in a way that is socially, environmentally and culturally responsible.

ESSENCE is part of the Treasure exhibition, a centrepiece for London Jewellery Week, and is showcasing leading ethical jewelry designers including GreenUnion partners April Doubleday, Leblas and CRED's own stunning designer collections made from Oro Verde Fair Trade gold and platinum, recycled silver plus a range of jewellery from 6 emerging student designers from London Metropolitan University. All these dedicated and committed ethical jewellers offer stunning bridal collections and prices start from just £20.

SPECIAL OFFER!
Contact CRED by email or phone 01243 773588 to claim a 2 for 1 voucher for entrance to the show.

Posted in Green Wedding Conflict Free , Ethical Vendors , Events , Fair Trade , Jewellery

New ethical jeweller joins us!

Today we are delighted to welcome Ness Bird Jewellery to our Wedding Directory. Ness Bird, a jewelry maker based in Glastonbury, Somerset, carefully hand crafts fairtrade bespoke wedding and engagement rings.

Ness also produces the Finger Print Ring, a signature jewel. The ultimate in personal jewellery captures dynamic details of your loved one's fingerprint which creates the design of the ring. Ness only uses gold, silver and platinum sourced from socially and environmentally responsible mines.

For more information you can contact Ness:

t: +44 (0) 1458 831692
w: nessbirdjewellery1.moonfruit.com e: nessbird@rocketmail.com

Green Rating:

Posted in Green Wedding Ethical Vendors , Jewellery , News

Generous jewellery offer for World Fair Trade Day

Celebrate World Fair Trade Day this Saturday 8th May by choosing some great fashion picks from CRED Jewellery.

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to get a fair deal from one of our favourite fair trade jewellers. CRED Jewellery are offering an amazing 20% off on their Silver collections and 10% off on their Fair Trade Gold collections for this weekend only.

To take part in CRED's World Fair Trade Day Promotion just shop on line.

PLEASE NOTE: the full price will show on checkout but you will find the discount has been calculated and confirmed on your confirmation email. If you are unsure just phone 01243 773588 or email info@credjewellery.com to place your order.

Posted in Green Wedding Events , Jewellery , Special Offers

Gold can't get fairer than this

Congratulations to Greg Valero and CRED!

Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) have announced the long-awaited launch of the first international independent third-party certification for gold production.

The new Fairtrade and Fairmined standards will mean that millions of impoverished artisanal small-scale miners around the world will be able to receive independent certification and recognition for their efforts, bringing economic security to millions of families and their communities around the world.

Yesterday CRED told us "We have long recognised the value in knowing exactly where our gold comes from, the way it was mined and all the hands it has passed through. Along with our mining partners Oro Verde we have championed the cause of the artisanal miner and the Fair Trade approach that seeks to put control back in the hands of the producer and pay a Fair Price for their work."

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , News

Turn heads with a statement ring

One of the biggest fashion trends this season is Statement Jewellery. Statement rings are all about standing out from the crowd and exhibiting your glamorous side.

Nothing makes more of an impact than one of these bold and sumptuous Statement Rings from CRED. These rings are in every sense the epitome of glamour and elegance; each crafted in stunning 18ct Fair Trade Oro Verde Gold and Platinum, set with ethically-sourced precious gemstones and diamonds.

So go ahead, make a real statement by indulging in a breathtakingly beautiful and timeless ring from CRED.

Find out more information and prices by going to CRED's website www.credjewellery.com, or visiting their Boutique in Chichester or their new London Studio.

Posted in Green Wedding Inspiration , Jewellery

Fabulous wedding jewellery offer!

To celebrate their 'union' with us, ethical jewellers Leblas are offering our readers a fabulous 25% discount if you order an ethical engagement ring or wedding ring from them.

Your engagement and wedding are special and precious moments in life so you will want to choose a special ring to mark the occasion. Leblas jewellery creates beautiful and socially responsible ethical engagement and wedding rings. They use conflict-free diamonds, and recycled precious white and yellow gold for their jewellery. Choose from their range of contemporary ethical diamond rings and wedding bands, or get your discount on a custom made bespoke ring if you order before 31st January 2010.

Claim your 25% discount by entering the code 'Green Union' at checkout on the Leblas website or find out more by visiting their boutique on Sloane Street, London, emailing customerservice@leblas.com, or calling them for a chat on 020 7730 3418.

Don't forget to quote 'Green Union' when you purchase or commission your engagement ring or wedding band!

Offer lasts until 31st January 2010.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , Special Offers

Bario-Neal Holiday Jewelry Sale

Bario-Neal Jewelry, our friends from across the 'pond', are wishing you all Happy Holidays with this fantastic offer!

In the holiday spirit, they are offering all website customers 50% off a purchase of $150 or more from the Alluvial, Camac, & Base Ten Collections.

Visit www.bario-neal.com and use the discount code holiday150 when checking out.

Hurry though - the 50% discount is only valid until Saturday December 12th.

Happy Holidays!

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , Special Offers

Deal of the Day!

Bario-Neal & Lucky Magazine Knottedrush Ring Deal of the Day!

Starting today until tomorrow 25 September 2009 at midnight US time, in collaboration with Lucky Magazine, Bario-Neal are offering 50% off their Knottedrush Ring in silver and 10kt gold.

Visit bario-neal.com and enter the discount code luckydaily3 when checking out to receive your discount.

Enjoy!

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , Special Offers

Gorgeous jewels

We're so loving Lorna Henderson's sublimely beautiful and affordable range of bright jewels. Expertly and lovingly crafted by Lorna herself in Bedfordshire, right here in the UK, she creates intricate designs of semi-precious gems woven amongst hand forged silver flowers and delicately strung between silver links.

What we especially love about this new range is that you can splash out on a statement piece for yourself like the Rose Quartz Flower Cluster Bracelet, or you can afford to buy all your bridesmaids a beautiful Gem Twister Necklace as a gift.

The colourful collection includes, crystals, blues, citrus, pinks and pearls.

‘I like to think of my jewels as works of art that can adorn the body, which have life, are unusual and make the wearer happy,’ says Lorna.

Go to our Eco Chic Boutique to view the whole collection.

Posted in Green Wedding Gifts & Favours , Jewellery

Prize Winner

Congratulations to Michelle from Preston who has won our fantastic jewellery prize draw competition in assoiciation with Cred the fair trade jeweller. This gorgeous silver ring will be winging its way to you very soon!

A big thank you to all who participated. If you want to verify your participation in this draw you can do so by clicking on the following link:
http://www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=728

Posted in Green Wedding Giveaways , Jewellery

Last chance!

Our fantastic jewellery prize draw competition, in association with fair trade jewellers Cred, closes at midnight tonight so if you haven't already answered to two easy peasy questions we put, don't delay. Get answering!

There's not much time left for the chance to win this elegant and contemporary recycled silver, satin finished ring worth £70.00. To find out more, and enter our competition, just click here.

The winner will be announced tomorrow, so check in and find out if you were the lucky one!

Posted in Green Wedding Giveaways , Jewellery

Fantastic jewellery prize draw competition!

In partnership with leading Fair Trade Jeweller, CRED, we're giving you the chance to win this beautiful silver ring worth £70.00.

Moody, morose skies and wintery coastlines are captured in this elegant and contemporary recycled silver, satin finished ring. The sensitive and sculptural design evokes the power of the waves through its free flowing form.

The ring, designed by Laura Strand, is part of CRED's Graduate Collection featuring the work of four designers who were winners of their Responsible Jewellery Design Competition which was set to the students of Central St Martin's in London.

For a chance to win this gorgeous and uniquely designed recycled silver ring worth £70.00 all you need to do is answer the following two questions correctly:

1. What principal chemical is used in the processing of gold from large scale mining?

2. What principal chemical is used in the processing of gold from small scale mining?

Competition closes midnight GMT 13th July 2009. By entering this competition you agree to be bound by our competition terms & conditions.

Posted in Green Wedding Giveaways , Jewellery

The Purest Jewellery in the World

We're absolutely delighted, this month, to have partnered with CRED, the original fair trade jewellers with a passion for beauty fashioned from fair trade and environmentally responsible materials. It is simply the purest jewellery in the world.

And to give you more of an insight we asked Greg Valerio, founder of CRED, to tell us a bit more about how his company ticks. Over to you Greg ...

Jewellery that leaves an environmental legacy

Buying jewellery is the most personal purchase one ever makes. What you wear speaks to the world of what is intimately valuable to you. It is a timeless purchase that should reflect the values you aspire to; personal expression, freedom of choice, social and environmental well-being and exquisite beauty. CRED is the fair trade jeweller who understands these values as we have been pioneering ethical and environmentally responsible jewellery since 1996. For us the inherent beauty and value of jewellery rests not only in its exquisite design but also in the social and environmental footprint it leaves. This we believe is what beauty is all about and we have found that our customers share these important values.

Posted in Green Wedding Giveaways , Jewellery

The ring, the ring my kingdom for a ring!!

Probably the hardest jewellery purchase I think I’ll ever make, mostly because I will wear it every day for the rest of my life… no pressure then.

I had always thought I would design my own engagement ring, for which I would like to use ethically sourced stones, or vintage gems or maybe even making my ring from parts of an old ring. But what to do?

Well I knew I’d found a great jeweller in David Hill of Parchment in Winchester. Not only was he able to work with my designs (my first visit was for 3 hours with a sketch book full of notes) but he was also great at explaining why he ethically sources his stones, and how he knows for sure where they are from. His caring knowledgeable approach was very reassuring.

Although I didn’t go for incorporating the vintage stones I had wanted originally, I feel now I made the right choice, knowing that my ring has been crafted locally, handmade by a local craftsman who I have met and who has helped me make my ring a reality. It's something I’m very happy with, et vola!

Posted by Esther - Blogger Bride

Posted in Green Wedding Blogger Brides , Jewellery , Natural Nuptials

Is your wedding ring dirty?

With the wedding season getting well under the way, you're probably thinking about that little band of gold, the symbol of our marriage vows. But before you plump for that potent icon, you may want to know an itsy bit more about the true cost of dirty gold mining.

Watch No Dirty Gold campaigners, community members and jewellery retailers on the Sundance Channel's series, Ecotrip: the Real Cost of Living. Starting today, the series will air its "gold ring" episode chronicling the environmental and community impacts of gold mining.

Posted in Green Wedding Charities , Jewellery , News

Holiday discounts from Bario-Neal

Happy Holidays from Bario-Neal!

For the month of December, in the holiday spirit, Bario-Neal are offering all customers a 35% discount on any jewellery from the Alluvial & Camac Collections. You can visit their website at www.bario-neal.com & use the discount code BN35OFF when checking out.

Also tomorrow 11 December they will be at Arcadia Boutique in Philadelphia for a holiday trunk show from 6-9 pm. They are also part of a holiday sale at Secret Project Robot from 11am - 7pm in Brooklyn on Saturday the 13th.

If you're Philadelphia or Brooklyn get on down there!

Bario-Neal jewellery is handcrafted in Philadelphia with reclaimed precious metals; ethically-sourced stones; and low-impact, environmentally conscious practices. 1% of all Bario-Neal profits is donated to the Association for Responsible Mining.

Posted in Green Wedding Gifts & Favours , Jewellery

Ethical jewellery practices

The awful conflict that's currently growing in the Democratic Republic of Congo inevitably brings our thoughts back to gold and jewellery. This vast country has huge deposits of diamonds, gold and copper. And while the 870m dollar diamond industry provides work for around one million people in the DR Congo, diamond diggers earn less than one dollar a day and work in extremely dangerous conditions.

So it's always a worry that the jewels you choose could hold some dark and dirty secret. If you are determined to be as eco conscious as possible with your wedding plans and outfits, then the only way to be sure that your engagement rings and committment bands have come from completely ethical sources is to buy from a totally transparent company.

Bario-Neal is one of these. A collaborative work of designers Anna Bario and Page Neal who handcraft all their jewellery in Philadelphia, USA. Bario-Neal promotes total transparency, fair trade initiatives and the development of third party certification systems for ethical jewellery.

Their gorgeous collection is made from reclaimed metals derived from recycled jewellery or industrial materials, while diamonds and gems are sourced from the Tanzania Women Miners Association, TAWOMA. They sell on line but if you want to take a peek at their work and you just happen to be in New York, they'll be at the Metal Pop Up Shop opening at the Tribeca Issey Miyake Flagship store from 7th to 15th November.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery

Illegal gold mining crisis

Thanks to Ingle & Rhode, I've become aware of a recent report from Reuters which suggests that the soaring price of gold has created a new gold rush that is spreading to the world's remotest corners and leading to a highly dangerous rise in illegal mining and destabilising remote ethnic communities.

Gold prices have trebled over the last five years. As a result, mining corporations have found it worth moving into remote and sometimes unstable parts of the world. Sometimes, this attracts them into a previously unexplored area and leads to them encroaching onto the territory of artisanal miners, while at other times local people are attracted by the activity of the big company.

The result can be violent confrontations between mine security and illegal miners. Moreover, since illegal mining is unregulated, it is often carried out in extremely dangerous conditions – fatalities are not uncommon. At least six illegal miners, aged between 14 and 20, died at AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine in Ghana in the last month, officials have said.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , News

Sarah & Paul

We're all thinking hugely positive thoughts for Sarah and Paul's wedding this Saturday and watching the weather anxiously because even though nothing will dampen their love, or the day itself, a little bit of sunshine will warm everyone's cockles.

Sarah, a homeopath and course co-ordinator and her partner Paul, an orthodontist live on the beautiful North Devon coast with their three sons Ben, Toby and Harry. They’ve chosen to have a truly local and eco friendly wedding by conducting a spiritual woodland wedding ceremony at Coombe Farm near Tiverton, where they will be joined by family and friends for a mini festival celebration of camping, local food, flowers and music.

Sarah says: “We wanted to have a green wedding because that’s generally the way we live our lives anyway. We like to avoid excess, we’re not big consumers and we want to minimise our impact on the environment. The wedding industry is so full of wastage. It’s not good for the world and it’s not good for us. We’re not being evangelical about it but we have three children and we are aware of our impact on their future.

Our wedding is just one small thing, but think of the impact and the number of people we could influence by setting an example.” And instead of having a wedding gift list, their guests are being encouraged to offset the carbon miles they have generated to attend the wedding by paying for trees to be planted by the Woodland Trust.

Keeping the local theme, Sarah's engagement ring was made specially for her by April Doubleday, a British Designer/Maker of contemporary, fair trade and ethical jewellery who also lives on, and gets her inspiration from, the North Devon Coast. The image above shows examples of April's fabulous new collection of Ethical Wedding Rings.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , Natural Nuptials

Perfect pearls

This image of a beautiful bride listening to her husband's wedding vows illustrates how simple ear studs and a string of pearls can perfectly finish off a modern bride's outfit.

Mai Pearls have made it their business to source a range of hand made classic and contemporary pearl jewellery ethically, by only buying from two small groups of skillful Chinese women. Henrietta, founder of Mai Pearls, personally travels to China every year to place her orders and donates 10% of all profits to Operations Blessings care programs. These programs are available for China’s needy, handicapped, orphans, and children suffering from various diseases. For more information on the charity visit www.obchina.org.

Give a little back by choosing gorgeous freshwater pearls in every hue, bracelets, earrings, necklaces - the world's your oyster!

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery

Green gold

We're really excited to hear that our partners Cred Jewellery are working hard with the Fairtrade Foundation (FF) and the Association for Responsible Mining (ARM) to find a way to certify a 'Green Gold' collection of jewels.

Some while back Cred formed a partnership with miners in a cooperative in Choco, an underdeveloped region in northeast Colombia, called the Green Gold (‘Oro Verde‘) project and the FF is now exploring how to develop the concept of ethical gold with ARM. Hopes are to be able to extend its successful labelling scheme to gold in the foreseeable future.

‘If we get a positive board decision to proceed with Fairtrade labelled gold, then depending on the outcome of the pilot studies to date, it would be likely that the first certified gold will be available during 2009,’ said Fairtrade Foundation policy and producer relations officer Chris Davis.

So if you're a girl and planning to pop the question to your beau this leap year it won't be possible to buy Fairtrade gold to mark the occasion. But you will be able to find an ethical alternative in our list of jeweller partners who all use recycled gold and ethically sourced stones in their jewellery.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery

Ethical rings

Now you've decided to tie the knot, and if a ring hasn't already been produced, you may be thinking of not only going ethical but also individual. April Doubleday is leading the pack with her individually hand crafted ethical jewellery.

On the use of gold, she says "I only gold plate (rather than making things from solid gold), which doesn't deplete the earth's resources, and I have to know where exactly the gold I use was mined, insisting that workers have been fairly paid and that their working conditions are safe, hygienic and humane. It's also essential for me to know that no child labour has been used in the extraction of the gold. I use Colombian gold which is Fair Trade accredited by the Cred Foundation. Greg Valerio of that organisation traces the gold from source to customer every step of the way."

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery

Peace Love Earth

Our incredibly talented partner Anna Mkhitarian who makes fabulous eco chic wedding dresses under her label Annatarian, has just launched a range of whistful jewellery made from .925 recycled pure sterling silver. Called Peace Love Earth, Anna says "the jewelry was inspired by a need to provoke thought about these three words: PEACE, LOVE, and EARTH and is designed to inspire positive change."

Check out these cute Seven Wishes Bracelets inspired by Armenian traditional wish bracelets, Victoria Foraker, and fairies. The little charms, suspended on surplus string and presented in the gorgeous sealed boxes, make perfect favours or gifts for your bridesmaids.

All Anna's jewellery is made in Los Angeles, California under sweatshop free conditions.

Posted in Green Wedding Gifts & Favours , Jewellery

Brand new ethical jeweller launches

We've teamed up with brand new ethical jeweller Ingle & Rhode and we give them our wholehearted support as they launch their range of beautiful, design-led eco jewellery, with its socially and environmentally responsible sourcing and production policies.

The launch of Ingle & Rhode is another step in the right direction for an industry fraught with exploitation and controversy and we welcome their efforts to reduce the three main problems facing the jewellery industry: human exploitation, conflict diamonds, and environmental damage. Through painstaking research, Ingle & Rhode have put together a supply chain that guarantees clients can trace the provenance of all metals and gemstones used.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , News